SPINAL DISC AND LIGAMENT NEUROLOGY AND PATHOLOGY 

7 Credit Hours

*CE Credits are issued for Doctors of Chiropractic only.

**CME Credits are for Medical Doctors and Doctors of Chiropractic.

***Please note this course was approved for 6 CE credits in HI.

****Please note this course was approved for 5 CE credits in NH.

*****Please note this course was approved for 5.5 CE credits in CA through 5/31/2024.  There is no additional CE credit for this course in the state of CA after that date.

Spinal Disc & Neurology of Ligament Pathology

An Advanced, Evidence-Based CE Program

Understand spinal pathology. Explain long-term care with confidence.

Why This Course Matters

Spinal trauma rarely ends at pain. It initiates neurological compensation, biomechanical instability, and progressive tissue pathology that many clinicians struggle to fully explain—clinically, to patients, or in interdisciplinary settings.

This advanced program bridges that gap.

The Spinal Disc & Neurology of Ligament Pathology delivers a clear, defensible understanding of how discs, ligaments, and the nervous system interact following trauma, and why these changes often justify ongoing, long-term care.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the neurological and connective tissue components of spinal discs and supporting ligamentous structures

• Explain how these tissues function normally—and how they fail and compensate following trauma

• Identify the role of the central and peripheral nervous systems in spinal biomechanical compensation

• Recognize how disc bulges and herniations alter spinal stability

• Determine when patients are candidates for corrective care versus collaborative management

• Clearly explain why long-term or lifetime care may be clinically indicated, similar to other chronic conditions

• Confidently manage and explain shifting pain patterns as a natural consequence of compensation

Course Overview

This comprehensive, evidence-based program examines the interdependence of spinal ligaments, intervertebral discs, and neurological control systems.

Because discs are integral to spinal biomechanics, the course explores:

• How ligament laxity and disc pathology destabilize the spine

• The neurological consequences of spinal injury

• Why compensation often masks pathology rather than resolving it

• How trauma-driven changes progress over time

You will leave with a clear clinical framework for managing complex spinal cases and articulating the rationale for care—whether to patients, payers, attorneys, or other healthcare providers.

Expert-Level Clinical Focus

This course provides an in-depth examination of:

• Mechanoreceptors, proprioceptors, and nociceptors in pathological and compensatory spinal states

• Neurological sequelae of disc herniation

• Central and peripheral nervous system adaptations following trauma

• The clinical reasoning behind ongoing management vs. episodic care

Course Curriculum

Pre-Test

Module 1: Introduction, Ligament Physiology & Pathology

• 81-minute recording
• 28 slides

Module 2: Spinal Biomechanics & Disc Pathology

• 53-minute recording
• 84 slides + handout

Module 3: Disc Innervation & CNS Sequelae of Herniation

• 120-minute recording
• 80 slides

Post-Test

Total CE Hours

7 Hours

Tuition

$275

Meet the Instructors

Candice Perkins, MD

Board-Certified in Neurology & Cerebrovascular Neurology
Bringing medical neurology expertise to spinal pathology and post-traumatic neurological adaptation.

Mark Studin, DC, FPSC, FASBE(C), DAAPM

Internationally recognized authority in spinal biomechanics, trauma, and ligament pathology with decades of clinical and educational leadership.